Report of 8 cases with pediatric chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis and literature review / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To summarize the clinical features of chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) in children.Methods:Clinical data of 8 CNO patients admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from March 2014 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.The clinical characteristics of 8 children with CNO were summarized and compared with those reported abroad.Results:A total of 8 CNO patients were recruited, involving 3 males and 5 females with the mean age of onset (7.2±3.2)years, and the average diagnosis time 25.9 months, respectively.The common clinical symptoms included bone pain (7 cases, 87.5%), arthritis (4 cases, 50.0%), and fever (3 cases, 37.5%). The main manifestations on X-ray and CT scans were bone destruction and progressive osteosclerosis.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bone marrow edema, periostitis, soft tissue swelling, and enhancement.All of them had more than one site of bone involvement.Seven patients(87.5%) had bilateral bone involvement, with the most common site of tibia (22.0%), followed by femur (17.1%) and mandible (9.8%). Bone biopsy was performed in 8 patients, and 4 cases showed osteonecrosis, 4 cases showed bone fibrosis and 2 cases showed osteomyelitis.The etiological examination of the bone was negative.Eight children received non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs alone or in combination with glucocorticoids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), bisphosphonates or tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) antagonists.After treatment, the patients were followed up for 3 months to 2 years.Eight children improved.Their inflammatory indexes were normal, and had no disability, teratology or multiple organ damage.Conclusions:Pediatric CNO is more common in children of school age, with a long course of disease.The main manifestations are multi-site bone pain and arthritis.Imaging studies indicate multiple bone involvement, which is more common at lower extremities.Non-steroids anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, DMARDs, bisphosphonates and TNF-α antagonists are effective to CNO.